Tuesday, September 20, 2011

This wonderful set was recently found on a trip Salem, Massachusetts. The delicate antique china is ringed with images of witches on broomsticks, both around the perimeter of the saucer and around the outside of the cup. Inside the black-rimmed cup are 23 fortune-telling images, ranging from a ship to a four leaf clover to a crown to a death's head. Where the tea leaves fell one would uncover one's fortune.

The saucer measures 5 1/2 inches in diameter; the cup measures around 3 3/4 inches in diameter. The cup's bottom is marked with an image of one of the witches with the word "patented." The saucer is marked "PETERSYN CO., Passaic New Jersey, Patented," along with the eagle trade symbol of the Moritz Zdekauer (M.Z.), along with the word Austria. The eagle mark was used by the Moritz Zdekauer company between 1884 and 1910, which dates the cup and saucer to this period.

The cup and saucer are in wonderful condition. There is a tiny fleck of paint loss to the rim of the cup (please see my photograph for detail.) The cup's handle has two little tiny spurs which were original to the cup, and are not a defect. (visible in my photograph.) Most of the graphics are sharp and bright with very little wear. It's a wonderful, truly antique set, and would make a great addition to a collection, especially with its Salem, Massachusetts provenance.

This is the second Petersyn "Fortune Telling" Witches Cup/Saucer set I have posted here.

The other one was the Green Witches version. This is the Black Witches version, which I'm told is the less rare of two rarities.

This one is about to go off in 45 minutes and with 9 bids is currently at just a hair under 200 dollars.

But I'm expecting a mad flurry in the last few minutes should please this seller!

If you happen to find a full set of these things in your great auntie's china closet, you can plan that trip to Japan or anywhere else.

About Me

William Keckler. Poet. Blawger. Photographer/visual artist. You can see my work here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/williamkeckler/ I also post much of my own work on my Tumblr: www.thevisualvirgin.tumblr.com/.
I wish I could say humans move me closer to God, but usually it's the Cocteau Twins. If you're harming others or yourself physically, mentally or spiritually, today is a great day to stop.
Recent mag publications of photography and visual art (with links) are here:http://www.flickr.com/people/williamkeckler/
My books include Sanskrit of the Body, which won in the National Poetry Series, and Recombinant Image Day (which is available as a free PDF download at Broken Boulder Press).